TRAVEL GEAR
Smart Packing for the Budget Traveller
How to choose what luggage you’ll take.
Having decided to travel to Europe in autumn/winter, I now have to choose what I need to take, and how much I can comfortably carry (or take upstairs!). Travelling on a budget does not include fancy hotels with lifts to upper floors.
I have friends who travel with a 7 kg backpack. I have no idea how! If I can limit my suitcase to under 20kgs, I’m happy for two reasons. Firstly, I can lift 20kgs without giving myself a hernia, and secondly, some airlines have a 20kg upper limit on checked luggage.
If you wish to lug a 20kg backpack on your back at all times, be my guest, but with advancing years, I prefer a medium-sized four-wheeled suitcase which opens in the middle to reveal two equal sides. This makes accessing my clothes much easier.
I also use separate organizer bags for the same reason. You can buy cheap organizer bags, but it’s best not to skimp on the cost of your luggage. I’ve had a number of cheap suitcases which haven’t even lasted a single trip. The most memorable was one that lasted just two weeks before the handle broke!
Is my suitcase a friend or an enemy?
Your suitcase can be your best friend or your worst enemy when you’re travelling. Try to buy the lightest case available- I know it doesn’t seem fair but the airline includes the actual weight of your case in their total allowance.
I have just purchased my very own Samsonite Cosmolite Spinner and yes, it’s red! I tried to avoid the ubiquitous black and silver cases.
It’s much easier for me to spot a bright red case coming along the baggage conveyer belt but unfortunately, quite a few other travellers have the same idea — but that’s another story!
It’s super-light (I can pick it up with just my little finger!) and extremely maneuverable. It travelled with me for four months around Europe and Morocco and apart from the misadventure in Toulouse was no trouble at all.
Organiser bags — the best travel invention ever.
Organiser bags come in various sizes, and you can pack them in a few different ways. Packing similar items in separate bags work best for me; socks in one, undies in another, skirts in another, etc., but you may prefer to pack whole outfits in each bag so you only have to take out one bag to go to the showers or bathroom.
Which carry-on will work best?
In addition to my suitcase, I like to take my Jack Wolfskin daypack as my carry-on. It has a padded space for my laptop and charger, and plenty of room for a change of clothes, a clear plastic bag of toiletries not larger than 100mls each, my phone and charger, universal adaptor, and my Lonely Planet— yes, I’m old school, I like the actual book — I can highlight and take notes and bookmark interesting pages with post-its.
Oh, I almost forgot my trusty Thai bag. I’ve taken it on every trip and would never leave home without it. It’s made of a cotton material that packs flat to almost nothing but can be filled with all manner of things: groceries, water, or more indulgent purchases like bottles of wine.
It’s made of brightly-coloured material, which I usually wear over one shoulder or across my body for more security or heavier loads. Apart from shopping expeditions, I use it to carry everyday essentials, water (or wine), wallet, passport, phone, an extra jacket, and maybe a snack taken from the breakfast buffet?
How much does your luggage weigh?
I was reading an old handwritten travel journal from before laptops were invented and found I used to carry a 32kg suitcase. I must have been fitter (and stronger) than I am now. I’m proud of myself for limiting my suitcase to just 20kgs. I don’t think I’ll ever make it down to 7kgs, do you?
Written by ADRIENNE BEAUMONT
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